I am an occasional woodturner with a decent lathe and a modest (?)
assortment
of tools interested in turning bowls and hollow forms.

How can I avoid catches?
Some of them are 3/8" deep or more and occur for no apparent (to me) reason.
I can get a catch with scrapers, gouges, I guess I can get a catch with
whatever
tool I am using.

Suggestions?

bernie

Bernie,
Have you had any instrution by an experienced turner? If not, recommend
you do so instanter. I'm not suggesting you shouldn't ever have any catches
but they should be getting smaller and less frequent with experience. My
guess is that you might be using some of your tools in the wrong
application.
So, get someone knowledgeable to look over your shoulder. Bet things will
improve in a hurry.
"bernie feinerman" wrote in message
news:SaRSc.295233$XM6.157087@attbi_s53...
I am an occasional woodturner with a decent lathe and a modest (?)
assortment
of tools interested in turning bowls and hollow forms.

How can I avoid catches?
Some of them are 3/8" deep or more and occur for no apparent (to me)
reason.
I can get a catch with scrapers, gouges, I guess I can get a catch with
whatever
tool I am using.

Suggestions?

bernie

Bernie,
The first golden rule is ; YOU MUST HAVE SHARP TOOLS!!!!!!!!!!!! The
simplest of all tools is the scraper. The golden rule for it is to keep the
back of the handle higher than the cutting edge. All other tools must have
the back of the handle lower than the cutting edge. Now with the handle
below the cutting edge, you must rub the bevel while you cut. All beginners
should rub the bevel on the work without cutting, then slightly raise the
back of the handle until a chip appears. Now move in the direction of cut.
There is a lot more to this, body position, arm placement,etc...... That's
what you have to learn from another turner. Go to the AAW website and find a
chapter near you. Turners are a friendly bunch.


Rich

"bernie feinerman" wrote in message
news:SaRSc.295233$XM6.157087@attbi_s53...
I am an occasional woodturner with a decent lathe and a modest (?)
assortment
of tools interested in turning bowls and hollow forms.

How can I avoid catches?
Some of them are 3/8" deep or more and occur for no apparent (to me)
reason.
I can get a catch with scrapers, gouges, I guess I can get a catch with
whatever
tool I am using.

Suggestions?

bernie

1) Don't give away leverage. Keep your toolrest as close as possible to the
work. Additional benefit is you won't be one of those who worries about
nicks and dents in it, because the tools won't bounce.

2) Cut downhill to gain the support of the underlying wood and aim to sever
the fibers en passant as they slide down the edge of the tool.

3) Shavings are your instant critique.

Look at the shaving. When hogging, if the piece is adequately held, both
sides of the shaving may be ragged, because you're not cutting en passant.
When finishing, they should have a smooth edge where the tool cleanly
severed the fiber. Note that catches or incipient catches produce
ragged-edged shavings.

Watch where they travel. The Russian proverb "where wood is chopped, chips
fly" is true. You don't want them to fly when finishing, you want them to
fall as they are separated from the work. You are not supposed to be
chopping, but cutting. The shavings should fall, not fly in some Newtonian
opposite reaction.

4) The bevel rubs both ways. Use the bevel in conjunction with your
toolrest to maintain the optimum cutting angle once you get it. The vector
should be more parallel to the edge than perpendicular for the best cut and
the least catch. That way you take advantage of the gouge's natural curve
to clear the work. I am obliged to cut over the bed of my lathe, therefore
I use forged gouges which allow me to cut with only modest handle down
angles/distances.

http://www.woodturningplus.com/Five%...id_a_catch.htm
for a famous man's opinion.

http://personalpages.tds.net/~upgeorge/index.html for mine. I avoid the
catch waiting in fig. 3 and 4 by rolling a flat gouge on edge and cutting
tiny twisted shavings.


"bernie feinerman" wrote in message
news:SaRSc.295233$XM6.157087@attbi_s53...
I am an occasional woodturner with a decent lathe and a modest (?)
assortment
of tools interested in turning bowls and hollow forms.

How can I avoid catches?
Suggestions?

bernie feinerman wrote:

I am an occasional woodturner with a decent lathe and a modest (?)
assortment
of tools interested in turning bowls and hollow forms.

How can I avoid catches?
Some of them are 3/8" deep or more and occur for no apparent (to me)
reason. I can get a catch with scrapers, gouges, I guess I can get a catch
with whatever
tool I am using.

Suggestions?

bernie
The others have given good advice. But then there is the obvious:

Practice Practice Practice

The more you work with it the more natural it will seem. You will find
yourself automatically doing the right things.

Deb

As you approach the lathe, the tool should contact the tool rest first,
then rub the bevel. At this point you are not making shavings. Slowly
bring the edge to the wood and you should get small shavings. You can
try this with the lathe powered off and turn the work by hand. With the
bowl gouge you will see shavings as you turn it counter clockwise the
bowl will gab the edge and slam it down. if the scraper comes off the
rest you can see the wood catch it and slam it down to the rest. With
the skew if you loose the bevel it will skate on you. If the cutting
edge comes up to the top you can see it grab. By tuning the wood by
hand you can see it and feel the tool. Allen Lacer's video the skew,
the dark side / the sweet is exellant in demoing the catch with a skew.
Intallecually I know what not to do but putting it in practice is
something else. I was trying to turn out-board with a jet1236 with the
extension on the tool rest. I violated the first rule. I did not make
contact with the rest first. When the catch came it slammed the bowl
gouge down onto the tool rest with enough force to break the cast iron
extension. The tool rest and half extension bounced off my foot. A
painful reminder of what not to do. I expect some of the better turners
can give more detail answer to your question.

Bruce

Dr. Deb wrote:
bernie feinerman wrote:


I am an occasional woodturner with a decent lathe and a modest (?)
assortment
of tools interested in turning bowls and hollow forms.

How can I avoid catches?
Some of them are 3/8" deep or more and occur for no apparent (to me)
reason. I can get a catch with scrapers, gouges, I guess I can get a catch
with whatever
tool I am using.

Suggestions?

bernie

The others have given good advice. But then there is the obvious:

Practice Practice Practice

The more you work with it the more natural it will seem. You will find
yourself automatically doing the right things.

Deb

Lots of good advice. One caveat, though. Don't ride the bevel when
using a scraper. That has a different mechanism of action and riding a
scraper bevel will CAUSE a dig in.



"bernie feinerman" wrote in message news:SaRSc.295233$XM6.157087@attbi_s53...
I am an occasional woodturner with a decent lathe and a modest (?)
assortment
of tools interested in turning bowls and hollow forms.

How can I avoid catches?
Some of them are 3/8" deep or more and occur for no apparent (to me) reason.
I can get a catch with scrapers, gouges, I guess I can get a catch with
whatever
tool I am using.

Suggestions?

bernie

Hi bernie, Since you turn only occasionally, after you find the reason
(there is one and you will solve it) for your catches, you may still get
a few and think you have forgotten how to turn. At least I do after a
lay off. When possible, take some warm up scrapes and cuts on scraps
before you resume turning. Arch

Fortiter,


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

Seen some nasty shots of the storm that went through. Looks like more
then anyone could turn. Hope you come through unscathed.

James
www.cryscom.nb.ca

Arch wrote:
Hi bernie, Since you turn only occasionally, after you find the reason
(there is one and you will solve it) for your catches, you may still get
a few and think you have forgotten how to turn. At least I do after a
lay off. When possible, take some warm up scrapes and cuts on scraps
before you resume turning. Arch

Fortiter,


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

I am an occasional woodturner with a decent lathe and a modest (?)
assortment
of tools interested in turning bowls and hollow forms.

How can I avoid catches?
Some of them are 3/8" deep or more and occur for no apparent (to me)
reason.
I can get a catch with scrapers, gouges, I guess I can get a catch with
whatever
tool I am using.

Buy this book:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/boo...sbn=1861081146

You don't have to buy it from B&N, but buy it. Keith Rowley spends a lot
of time drilling into you the rules for using chisels. At times, he seems
to be wearing the subject to death (and some times gets a bit dry), but
listen to this: Any catch you get (ANY catch) will come from breaking one
of the three or four rules that he presents. It's really just that simple.

When I started out, whenever I'd get a catch, I'd think about it - and
with little or no effort, it was usually easy to see EXACTLY which rule I'd
broken, and how I could have avoided it. It's a powerful teaching
experience.

Really. When people just say "buy a book", it's not always what you want
to hear, but I can promise you that if you buy this book, read it, and apply
it, you'll be thankful.

steve

Hi, Steve,

If you are getting catches while spindle turning, one thing that may help is
to drive the wood using a safety center - really just an old dead center -
the kind with a cup and a center point, but no bearings. I found a picture
of one on Amazon at

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...114456-7552758

Use this instead of a 4-prong drive center, with a good live center in the
tailstock. Friction along the cup is sufficient to keep the block spinning.
If it stops instead of cutting, tighten the tailstock.

The reason I find this helps is, when you get a catch, the wood just stops.
If you keep the tool in the wood and shut off the lathe (you may get a
little burning from the friction where the ring contacts the wood), you can
see how the tool was digging in - which point caught, was the cutting edge
above or below centerline, etc.

Also, keep in mind the ABC's of turning (as offered by Micheal Mocho at
Arrowmont - Thanks, Micheal!)
A - Anchor. Make sure the tool is solidly in contact with the tool rest
before contacting the wood.
B - Bevel - Present the tool to the wood so the bevel touches first. Rub
the bevel against the wood as it turns.
C - Cut - raise the tool handle so the cutting edge enter the wood and
begins cutting. Do this slowly!

Good luck!

Ron Williams
Minn-Dak Woodturners
Moorhead, MN


"Steve Wolfe" wrote in message
...
I am an occasional woodturner with a decent lathe and a modest (?)
assortment
of tools interested in turning bowls and hollow forms.

How can I avoid catches?
Some of them are 3/8" deep or more and occur for no apparent (to me)
reason.
I can get a catch with scrapers, gouges, I guess I can get a catch with
whatever
tool I am using.

Buy this book:


http://search.barnesandnoble.com/boo...sbn=1861081146

You don't have to buy it from B&N, but buy it. Keith Rowley spends a
lot
of time drilling into you the rules for using chisels. At times, he seems
to be wearing the subject to death (and some times gets a bit dry), but
listen to this: Any catch you get (ANY catch) will come from breaking one
of the three or four rules that he presents. It's really just that
simple.

When I started out, whenever I'd get a catch, I'd think about it - and
with little or no effort, it was usually easy to see EXACTLY which rule
I'd
broken, and how I could have avoided it. It's a powerful teaching
experience.

Really. When people just say "buy a book", it's not always what you
want
to hear, but I can promise you that if you buy this book, read it, and
apply
it, you'll be thankful.

steve

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions.

It is time to read the books that collected along the way and to start
practicing on a regular basis.

A refresher course with someone who knows what they are doing is another
good idea.

Using sharp tools brings up the age old questions about how to sharpen
but there again, much is written, and practicing seems in order.

bernie